Night Road - Kristin Hannah [42]
Before Lexi could answer, Tyler showed up and took Mia away, leading her off the makeshift dance floor. Lexi saw how pathetically happy Mia looked at his return. It saddened her because she knew how dangerous it was to love someone that much, and because she knew it was how she looked at Zach.
“My sister dumped you, huh?” Zach said, coming up behind her, taking her in his arms. “I would never do that to you.”
She turned into him, kissing him. She tasted beer and something else, something sharp and metallic. The look in his eyes was a little bleary, as if he couldn’t quite focus.
He kissed her again, deeply, and then, taking her hand, he led her through the party and down to the beach. He started kissing her even before they lay down. His hand slid up under her shirt, unhooked her bra. She knew she should stop him, but it felt so good, and when he touched her breasts, she felt as if she were floating, flying … She made a sound she’d never heard before. Behind them, distant now, the music changed, or went on, or even went off; she couldn’t hear anything except her own heavy breathing and the way he kept saying her name and whispering that he loved her.
It took a Herculean effort to push him away. “Don’t, Zach…”
He rolled away from her and lay there. She felt the loss of his touch as a physical pain, and she instantly regretted her move. “I’m sorry, Zach. It’s just…”
“There you are,” Mia said, stumbling toward them. In the moonlight, Lexi could see how glassy eyed Mia was now, almost as if she’d been crying. And she was unsteady on her feet. Her shirt was buttoned incorrectly; the way it hung on her thin frame made her look strangely bent. She plopped down beside Lexi.
Lexi tried to rehook her bra without anyone noticing.
Zach sat up, drew his knees in, and stared out at the black Sound. After a long silence, he said quietly, “Mia? I don’t want to leave Lexi.”
“We don’t have to go,” Mia said, leaning against Lexi. She looked at her watch. “It’s not one yet.”
“In August,” Zach said. He looked to her for support, but she could offer none. She was suspended, in a dangerous position between these two, both of whom she loved. “Couldn’t we all go to UW together?”
“I might not be able to go to the U,” Lexi said to him. “It’s so expensive. I might have to start at Seattle CC.”
“We could do that, too,” Zach said. “It would save Mom and Dad a ton of money.”
Mia looked at her brother. “Now you don’t want to go to USC with me?”
“I don’t want to leave Lex,” he said quietly.
Mia looked away, stared out at the water. “Oh,” was all she said, but in that little half word, Lexi heard an ocean of disappointment.
They all knew Mia needed Zach at college with her.
Tyler stumbled over to where they were and collapsed into the sand. “Hey, Mia,” he said drunkenly, reaching for her. “I missed you.”
“Shit,” Zach said. “He’s drunk.”
Tyler laughed. “Oh, yeah. Whoa. I can’t drive, that’s for sure.”
Lexi got to her feet and looked at the party. Kids were sprawled everywhere. The few who were still standing staggered around. “What are we going to do?” she said, starting to panic. “We don’t want your mom to know we were drinking…”
“Shit,” Zach said again, running a hand through his hair.
“Madre said we could call anytime,” Mia said, trying to get Tyler to his feet. “No questions asked, she said. No repercussions.”
Zach looked at Lexi.
“We don’t have any choice,” she said. This was bad.
He cursed again and made the call. “Hey, Mom,” he said, straightening, trying to sound sober and failing. “Yeah. I know. Sorry. But … we need you to pick us up … yeah … Tyler … I know … thanks.” He closed the phone and looked at them. “She sounded pissed.”
“It’s one in the morning,” Lexi said. If only she hadn’t had that beer. She could have driven them home and spared them all what was coming.
They made their way back to the house, where kids were still huddled around the fire. All around, on the grass, more kids were making out, passed out.
In the driveway, they stood by Tyler’s SUV. It seemed